BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer
HOWELL — The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office has handed down a three-count indictment against a Freehold Borough youth following a shooting in April that left another teenager possibly permanently paralyzed.
The charges against Timothy Parrish Jr., 17, include attempted murder and stem from an April 19 shooting at a party held at a church hall in Howell. Authorities believe a handgun was the weapon used in the crime.
Parrish was arrested on April 25 and has remained at the Monmouth County Youth Detention Center, Freehold Township, according to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Freyer.
Freyer said that in addition to the attempted murder charge, which is a first-degree offense carrying a 10- to 20-year sentence, Parrish is also charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, which is a third-degree offense carrying a three- to five-year sentence, and unlawful possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, a second-degree offense carrying a five- to 10-year sentence.
Freyer said public defender Frank Gleason has been named to defend Parrish.
Dewayne Harper, 18, of Woodbridge, Middlesex County, is the person Parrish is charged with shooting.
In April, Assistant Prosecutor Peter Warshaw said Harper had been one of 80 to 90 invited guests attending a party held April 19 at the St. George Russian Orthodox Church hall on East Third Street in the Freewood Acres section of Howell.
Authorities still have not named the individual who rented the hall for a spring break party for family and friends.
Speaking days after the shooting, Warshaw said police interviews with eyewitnesses led investigators to conclude that a group of about 20 individuals who were known to be from Freehold Borough had rushed at Harper.
According to Warshaw, it was during the rush at Harper that the shooting had occurred. He said police know Harper was shot while he was on the ground.
Freyer said it is her understanding that Harper is home but is still disabled and still undergoing rehabilitation.
At the time, Warshaw said the shooting appeared to have emanated from a personal dispute. He said Harper’s twin brother had also attended the party.
In October 2000, Parrish’s father, Timothy, was himself the victim of a shooting that occurred in Freehold Borough. Parrish Sr. was shot in the head by Thomas "Yummy" Simms and Michael Simms, two brothers who were charged with shooting a total of four people during that incident.